Resting the Lion: A Prime Example of the Sea Change

Today's memorial service of Senator Edward Kennedy in Boston reflected not just the loss of the country's fierce Lion of the Senate, but the massive changes in today's journalism. Hundreds of Massachusetts citizens throughout the week lined the streets of Boston to pay their respects and view his body—Tweeting their feelings in the process. This morning's actual service was streamlined in video on the New York Times web site, making the once traditional newspaper of "All the News That's Fit to Print" seem like a major broadcasting company. CNN—which IS a major broadcasting company—was posting hundreds of still photographs on its site. The Christian Science Monitor—the first major daily newspaper in the country to eliminate its print version for online site—posted audio podcast interviews with reporters who'd covered the senator. Meanwhile, our local newspaper, The Salem News, interviewed local representatives who'd worked with Sen. Kennedy; it also published wonderful archival photos of his visits to the North Shore. I have more information about Sen. Kennedy now than I ever have to appreciate the efforts of a man who undoubtedly served his country with passion and vision. What's stayed with me the most? That gorgeous historic photograph of Kennedy on Cabot Street in Beverly—which is not online but in my pile of papers waiting to be recycled.